Elizabeth I (1533–1603) Elizabeth I (1533–1603) Contributed by Mary Hill Cole Elizabeth I was queen of England from 1558 to 1603, and Virginia was named in honor of her. Daughter of Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth Tudor became queen at the death of her married but childless half-sister Mary I. Elizabeth remained single, and her image as the "virgin queen" permeated the arts and politics of her reign, even as she used the possibility of marriage to shape foreign policy. Her reign saw the establishment of the Protestant Church of England in a form that has lasted for centuries. She faced a rebellion and plots in favor of her Catholic cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots, whose flight to England and claims to its throne caused Elizabeth first to imprison and then to execute her. Elizabeth oversaw her navy's defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, a victory that marked a high point of English protestant and nationalistic fervor.

In the 1580s, she encouraged Sir Walter Raleigh 's ventures to the New World, and even though his colonies at Roanoke failed, their brief existence enabled the English explorers to claim much of the eastern coast of North America as "Virginia." Elizabeth's love and patronage of plays, pageants, literature, and the fine arts was at the heart of the English Renaissance. Elizabeth was famous for her linguistic skills, sharp wit and temper, educated mind, frugality, and political caution. In her speeches, civic processions, and travels around the kingdom, she cultivated her popularity with her subjects. Elizabeth died in 1603 and was succeeded by her cousin James VI of Scotland. MORE... In This Entry Early Years On September 7, 1533, Elizabeth Tudor was born a disappointment to all. Her mother, Anne Boleyn, had retired to Greenwich Palace to give birth, confident in her future as the mother of England's next king. Her optimistic father, Henry VIII, had shrugged off papal authority and become Supreme Head of a national church in large part because he wanted a legitimate male heir.

The Catholic supporters of Henry's popular, but now discarded, first wife, Catherine of Aragon, saw the punishing hand of God in the arrival of another royal bastard; Protestant reformers joined the royal parents in hoping that the next child would be a healthy boy who would solidify the dynasty and new Church of England. Queen Elizabeth Named for her paternal grandmother, Elizabeth spent her early years away from her parents in a separate household shared with her elder half-sister, Mary Tudor. Under the tutelage of the humanist scholar Roger Ascham, Elizabeth read philosophy and theology and learned Latin, French, Italian, and Greek, intellectual pursuits that complemented her domestic skills in embroidery, dancing, and playing the virginals (an early harpsichord). After Edward VI became king at the death of their father in 1547, she maintained cordial relations with her half-brother, whose Protestant views she shared. But during Mary's five years as England's first ruling queen, from 1553 to 1558, Elizabeth's life was often at risk.

The 1554 revolt led by Sir Thomas Wyatt against Mary's Catholicism and her new Spanish husband, Philip of Spain (later King Philip II), resulted in Elizabeth's imprisonment in the Tower of London and then house arrest for her supposed participation in the plot. However, her strategies of politic silence, nominal religious conformity, convenient illnesses, and letters of loyalty enabled the vulnerable Elizabeth to survive and ascend the throne when Mary died childless on November 17, 1558. Queen Elizabeth's first actions as queen were to appoint advisors, celebrate her coronation in Westminster Abbey on January 15, 1559, and call a session of Parliament. Sir William Cecil joined the Privy Council as Principal Secretary and later Lord Treasurer and he remained her close, trusted confidant until his death forty years later. Her other lifelong friend and councillor, always at the queen's side as her Master of the Horse, was Sir Robert Dudley, arguably the man Elizabeth loved most and might have married, had not the scandal from his wife's suspicious but probably accidental death in 1560 dissuaded the cautious queen.

Dudley was so close to Elizabeth that in 1562 the ill queen wanted him to be Lord Protector of England should she die from smallpox, but neither the privy councillors nor her people approved of Dudley as protector or consort. When he died in 1588, Elizabeth carried with her "his last letter." Establishing the Church of England with the queen as its Supreme Governor was a task that occupied Elizabeth; her Archbishop of Canterbury, Matthew Parker; and Parliament until 1563. The Acts of Supremacy and Uniformity, along with a new Book of Common Prayer and the Thirty-Nine Articles of religious instruction, established the special mixture of Protestant doctrine and Catholic ritual that, in the queen's view, settled the religious disputes of the English Reformation. Although this Elizabethan settlement, with its "via media," or middle way, gradually satisfied most Protestants, some so-called Puritans pushed for more reforms. Some Catholics tried to replace Elizabeth with her Catholic cousin, Mary Stuart, queen of Scotland.

Under pressure from Protestant noblemen, Mary yielded her throne to her baby son, James VI, and fled Scotland in 1568 for the relative safety of England, where she remained under house arrest away from the English court and queen. Queen Elizabeth I From 1559 to 1582, Elizabeth conducted a series of courtships with the rulers of Sweden, France, and the Holy Roman Empire. These many marital negotiations dovetailed with her foreign policy, but religious stumbling blocks and her own reluctance essentially ended them all.

Addressing her first Parliament in 1559, Elizabeth stressed her desire to remain single while promising that God would take care of the succession: "[I]n the end this shall be for me sufficient: that a marble stone shall declare that a queen, having reigned such a time, lived and died a virgin." Seven years later, she told Parliament, "I say again I will marry as soon as I can conveniently, if God take not him away with whom I mind to marry, or myself … And I hope to have children; otherwise I would never marry." In 1576, Elizabeth still proclaimed the virtues of virginity: "[I]f I were a milkmaid with a pail on mine arm, whereby my private person might be little set by, I would not forsake that single state to match myself with the greatest monarch." Her portraits also stressed her virginity through images of her with unbound hair, pearls, pelicans, and sieves, even as they highlighted her regal authority to control the seas, the kingdom, and all life within it. Elizabeth never married, and the succession to the throne remained unsettled.

the Queene With no child to succeed her and no recognized heir, Elizabeth faced dangers at home and from abroad. In 1569, Catholic earls in the north of England revolted in favor of Mary Stuart, and, with poor timing, a year later Pope Pius V excommunicated Elizabeth as a heretic and nullified her sovereign authority, calling on English Catholics to rise up against her rule. The highest peer of the realm, Thomas Howard, fourth duke of Norfolk, flouted Elizabeth's authority by pursuing a marriage to Mary Stuart that could have made him king of England; his treason led to his trial and execution in 1572. Elizabeth refused to meet Mary Stuart, who still claimed the English crown, and she turned to the spy network of Sir Francis Walsingham to ensure her own safety in the midst of additional plots against her in the 1580s. When Walsingham produced written proof of Mary's support of efforts to assassinate her, Elizabeth had her tried and, after the expected guilty verdict, executed. With the death of Mary Stuart came bolder Spanish efforts to overthrow Elizabeth.

Late in the summer of 1588, Philip II sent a flotilla of ships from Cádiz into the English Channel in an attempt to invade England. Elizabeth joined Robert Dudley at Tilbury to rally her troops, while her navy under the command of Lord Admiral Charles Howard and Sir Francis Drake fought the Spanish until "Protestant winds" blew the invaders north past Scotland. In the victorious aftermath and celebration of their deliverance, the English turned Elizabeth's Accession Day, November 17, into a national holiday. Virginia) As tensions with Spain rose in the 1580s, Elizabeth encouraged Walter Raleigh's ventures to the New World. On March 24, 1584, the queen granted a license to Raleigh that empowered him to explore and colonize lands unclaimed by Christian kings; in return, she would receive one-fifth of the treasures there, and she allowed Raleigh to name the lands "Virginia." In typical fashion, Elizabeth gave him symbolic support but little money. An expedition funded by Raleigh reached Roanoke Island on July 13, 1584.

After a failed first attempt at establishing a colony in 1585–1586, John White landed at Roanoke in July 1587 with 115 settlers, and three weeks later White's granddaughter, the first English child born in the New World, was baptized Virginia Dare in honor of the queen. Even though the Roanoke Island colony was "lost" by 1590, it enabled the English explorers to claim as Virginia much of the eastern coast of North America. Later Years During the fifteen years after the Armada's defeat, challenges remained for Elizabeth. Her close advisors Dudley, Walsingham, and Sir Christopher Hatton, died; William Cecil, first baron Burghley, under the burden of age, shifted his duties to his son Robert Cecil; and James VI of Scotland attracted growing attention as the assumed but not accepted heir to the queen. Her young new favorite, Robert Devereux, second earl of Essex and Dudley's stepson, pressed for more rewards than Elizabeth felt he merited. When the proud, frustrated Essex tried to rouse Londoners in revolt, the queen had him executed in 1601.

I Even in her later years, Elizabeth continued to move her court on summer progresses, extended travels that fostered her popularity and policies during the hospitality and entertainments shared by the queen and her people. Until early 1603, Elizabeth remained in good health, but she deeply felt the death of her cousin, Catherine Howard, countess of Nottingham, and lost her will to live. Developing either bronchitis or pneumonia, she declined late in February, gradually stopped eating, and spent several days on the floor on pillows rather than return to bed. After indicating that James VI of Scotland would be the next ruler of England (as James I), she died on March 24, 1603, at Richmond Palace. Her body, probably embalmed, lay in state for public viewing at Whitehall Palace until her funeral and burial under the altar in Westminster Abbey on April 28, 1603. In 1606, James I had her body disinterred and reburied with her half-sister Mary Tudor in a side chapel where it is today.

Time Line September 7, 1533 - Elizabeth Tudor is born at Greenwich Palace, the daughter of King Henry VIII of England and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. January 28, 1547 - King Henry VIII of England dies and is succeeded by his youngest child, Edward VI. July 6, 1553 - King Edward VI of England dies, leaving the crown to his cousin Lady Jane Grey, who rules for only nine days. Edward's half-sister Mary Tudor raises an army, claims her throne, and imprisons Grey. Mary I is the first queen regnant of England. January 25, 1554 - Sir Thomas Wyatt leads a revolt to protest Queen Mary's intended marriage to Philip II of Spain and to put Princess Elizabeth on the throne. Elizabeth denies knowledge of Wyatt's plans, but the queen orders her to the Tower of London for questioning. May 19, 1554 - Imprisoned since January after being implicated in a plot against Queen Mary, Princess Elizabeth leaves the Tower of London for house arrest at Woodstock.

November 17, 1558 - Queen Mary I of England dies, leaving the crown to her half-sister Elizabeth. January 15, 1559 - Elizabeth I is crowned queen of England at Westminster Abbey. September 8, 1560 - Sir Robert Dudley's wife, Amy Robsart, dies from a fall down the stairs at a friend's home in Oxfordshire, fueling rumors that Dudley and Elizabeth conspired to kill her in order to marry. An inquest determines that there was no foul play. June 1562 - Elizabeth I, queen of England, and her cousin Mary, queen of Scotland, plan to meet in York, but the diplomatic fallout of religious conflict in France causes Elizabeth to cancel the visit. The two queens never meet. October 1562 - Elizabeth I, queen of England, contracts smallpox but suffers few scars. The Privy Council refuses her desire that Sir Robert Dudley be named Lord Protector in case of her death.

September 29, 1564 - Sir Robert Dudley becomes the first earl of Leicester, a title that Elizabeth I, queen of England, hopes will enhance his status as a potential match for the widowed Mary, queen of Scotland. July 29, 1565 - Mary, Queen of Scots, marries her first cousin Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, of England. Their relationship quickly collapses. March 9, 1566 - David Rizzio, the Italian private secretary of Mary, queen of Scotland, is murdered by a group of Protestant noblemen while at dinner with the queen, who is six months pregnant. The queen's king consort, Henry Stuart, lord Darnley, is later implicated in the plot. June 19, 1566 - James Stuart is born at Edinburgh Castle, the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, and Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley. July 24, 1567 - Mary, Queen of Scots, abdicates the throne in favor of her thirteen-month-old son, who is now known as James VI.

1568–1587 - Mary Stuart, former queen of Scotland and cousin to Queen Elizabeth I, is held under house arrest in north-central England in the custody of loyal courtiers, including George Talbot, sixth earl of Shrewsbury and his wife Elizabeth, countess of Hardwick. May 16, 1568 - Mary Stuart flees Scotland for England, where she seeks safety and English support to regain her crown. Elizabeth refuses to meet with her because Mary has not accepted Elizabeth's legitimacy as queen. November 1569 - Thomas Percy, seventh earl of Northumberland, and Charles Neville, sixth earl of Westmoreland, lead a failed revolt in northern England against Queen Elizabeth. They oppose her Protestant policies and her reliance upon Sir William Cecil, and support Mary Stuart's claim to the English throne. April 27, 1570 - Pope Pius V excommunicates Queen Elizabeth of England in a belated attempt to support the revolt led by Thomas Percy, seventh earl of Northumberland, and Charles Neville, sixth earl of Westmoreland.

June 2, 1572 - Thomas Howard, fourth duke of Norfolk, is tried and executed for his participation in the Ridolfi plot, an attempt to overthrow Queen Elizabeth of England in favor of her cousin Mary Stuart, whom Norfolk hopes to marry. July 9–27, 1575 - As part of her regular summer progress, Queen Elizabeth of England visits Robert Dudley, first earl of Leicester, for one of the most costly and extravagant festivals of her reign, at Kenilworth in Warwickshire. 1579–1582 - Queen Elizabeth of England negotiates her last prospect of marriage with Francis, duke of Anjou and Alençon, and son of the powerful Catherine de Medici. She affectionately nicknames him "frog," but declines to marry. Winter 1584–1585 - Queen Elizabeth I develops a strategy in her war against Spain. She will send an army to the Netherlands to fight on behalf of the Protestants, Sir Francis Drake to the West Indies to disrupt Spanish shipping, and colonists to Roanoke Island to establish a harbor for privateers.

February 8, 1587 - After being tried and convicted of plotting the death of Queen Elizabeth of England, Mary Stuart is beheaded at Fotheringhay Castle in Northamptonshire. August 1588 - The Spanish Armada engages with the English navy in the English Channel and, after losing several ships, returns to Spain. September 4, 1588 - Sir Robert Dudley, first earl of Leicester, Queen Elizabeth's Master of the Horse and longtime confidant, dies. August 4, 1589 - Sir William Cecil, first baron Burghley, dies. He was secretary of state under King Edward VI and Queen Elizabeth I, and Lord Treasurer from 1572 until his death. February 25, 1601 - Robert Devereux, second earl of Essex, is beheaded for leading a failed rebellion against Queen Elizabeth in London. March 24, 1603 - Queen Elizabeth I dies at Richmond Palace and is succeeded by James VI of Scotland, who unites the thrones of England and Scotland, ruling the former as James I.

April 28, 1603 - The funeral of Queen Elizabeth is held at Westminster Abbey, where she is buried. Her successor, James I, in keeping with royal custom, does not attend the service. Categories Further Reading Doran, Susan and Thomas Freeman, eds. The Myth of Elizabeth. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003. Levin, Carole. "The Heart and Stomach of a King": Elizabeth I and the Politics of Sex and Power. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1994. Marcus, Leah S., Janel Mueller, and Mary Beth Rose, eds. Elizabeth I: Collected Works. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000. Starkey, David and Susan Doran, eds. Elizabeth: The Exhibition at the National Maritime Museum. London, England: Chatto & Windus, 2003. Stump, Donald and Susan M. Felch. Elizabeth I and Her Age: A Norton Critical Edition. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2009. Wormald, Jenny. Mary, Queen of Scots: Politics, Passion and a Kingdom Lost. New York: St.

Martin's Press, 2001. Cite This Entry APA Citation: The Life of Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603) ELIZABETH I, Queen of England and Ireland, born on Sunday the 7th of September 1533, and, like all the Tudors except Henry VII , at Greenwich Palace , was the only surviving child of Henry VIII by his second queen, Anne Boleyn . With such a mother and with Cranmer as her godfather she represented from her birth the principle of revolt from Rome, but the opponents of that movement attached little importance to her advent into the world. Charles V 's ambassador, Chapuys , hardly deigned to mention the fact that the king's amie had given birth to a daughter, and both her parents were bitterly disappointed with her sex. She was, however, given precedence over Mary , her elder sister by sixteen years, and Mary never forgave the infant's offence. Even this dubious advantage only lasted three years until Elizabeth's mother was beheaded. Elizabeth thus lost all hereditary title to the throne, and her early years of childhood can hardly have been happier than Mary's.

Nor was her legitimacy ever legally established; but after Jane Seymour 's death, when Henry seemed likely to have no further issue, she was by act of parliament [ Act of Succession, 1544 ] placed next in order of the succession after Edward and Mary and their issue; and this statutory arrangement was confirmed by the will which Henry VIII was empowered by statute to make. Queen Catherine Parr introduced some humanity into Henry's household, and Edward and Elizabeth were well and happily educated together, principally at old Hatfield House . They were there when Henry's death called Edward VI away to greater dignities, and Elizabeth was left in the care of Catherine Parr, who married in indecent haste Thomas, Lord Seymour , brother of the protector Somerset . This unprincipled adventurer, even before Catherine's death in September 1548, paid indelicate attentions to Elizabeth. Any attempt to marry her without the council's leave would have been treason on his part and would have deprived Elizabeth of her contingent right to the succession. Accordingly, when Seymour's other misbehaviour led to his arrest, his relations with Elizabeth were made the subject of a very trying investigation, which gave Elizabeth her first lessons in the arts of self-defence.

She proved equal to the occasion, partly because she was in all probability innocent of anything worse than a qualified acquiescence in Seymour's improprieties and a girlish admiration for his handsome face. He or his tragic fate may have touched a deeper chord, but it was carefully concealed. For the rest of Edward's reign Elizabeth's life was less tempestuous. She hardly rivalled Lady Jane Grey as the ideal Puritan maiden, but she swam with the stream, and was regarded as a foil to her stubborn Catholic sister. She thus avoided the enmity and the still more dangerous favour of Northumberland ; and some unknown history lies behind the duke's preference of the Lady Jane to Elizabeth as his son's wife and his own puppet for the throne. She thus escaped shipwreck in his crazy vessel, and rode by Mary's side in triumph into London on the failure of the plot. For a time she was safe enough; she would not renounce her Protestantism until Catholicism had been made the law of the land, but she followed Gardiner 's advice to her father when he said it was better that he should make the law his will than try to make his will the law.

It was not so much Elizabeth's religion as her nearness to the throne and the circumstances of her birth that endangered her life in Mary's reign. While Mary was popular Elizabeth was safe; but as soon as the Spanish marriage project had turned away English hearts Elizabeth inevitably became the centre of plots and the hope of the plotters. Had not Lady Jane still been alive to take off the edge of Mary's indignation and suspicion Elizabeth might have paid forfeit for Wyat's rebellion with her life instead of imprisonment. She may have had interviews with French agents who helped to foment the insurrection; but she was strong and wary enough to avoid Henry II's toils; for even in case of success she would have been the French king's puppet, placed on the throne, if at all, merely to keep it warm for Henry's prospective daughter-in-law, Mary Stuart . This did not make Mary Tudor any more friendly, and the Spaniards cried loud and long for Elizabeth's execution. She was sent to the Tower in March 1554, but few Englishmen were fanatic enough to want a Tudor beheaded.

The great nobles, the Howards, and Gardiner would not hear of such a proposal; and all the efforts of the court throughout Mary's reign failed to induce parliament to listen to the suggestion that Elizabeth should be deprived of her legal right to the succession. After two months in the Tower she was transferred to Sir Henry Bedingfield's charge at Woodstock , and at Christmas, when the realm had been reconciled to Rome and Mary was expecting issue, Elizabeth was once more received at court. In the autumn of 1555 she went down to Hatfield , where she spent most of the rest of Mary's reign, enjoying the lessons of Ascham , and planting trees which still survive. She had only to bide her time while Mary made straight her successor's path by uprooting whatever affection the English people had for the Catholic faith, Roman jurisdiction and Spanish control.

The Protestant martyrs and Calais between them removed all the alternatives to an insular national English policy in church and in state; and no sovereign was better qualified to lead such a cause than the queen who ascended the throne amid universal, and the Spaniards thought indecent, rejoicings at Mary's death on the 17th of November 1558. "Mere English" she boasted of being, and after Englishmen's recent experience there was no surer title to popular favour. No sovereign since Harold had been so purely English in blood; her nearest foreign ancestor was Catherine of France , the widow of Henry V , and no English king or queen was more superbly insular in character or in policy. She was the unmistakable child of the age so far as Englishmen shared in its characteristics, for with her English aims she combined some Italian methods and ideas. "An Englishman Italianate," ran the current jingle, "is a devil incarnate," and Elizabeth was well versed in Italian scholarship and statecraft. It is clear enough that, although, like her father, she was fond of ritual, she was absolutely devoid of the religious temperament, and that her ecclesiastical preferences were dictated by political considerations.

She was sincere enough in her dislike of Roman jurisdiction and of Calvinism; a daughter of Anne Boleyn could have little affection for a system which made her a bastard, and all monarchs agreed at heart with James I 's aphorism about "no bishop, no king." It was convenient, too, to profess Lutheran sympathies, for Lutheranism was now an established, monarchical and comparatively respectable religion, very different from the Calvinism against which monarchs directed the Counter-reformation from political motives. Lutheran dogma, however, had few adherents in England, though its political theory coincided with that of Anglicanism in the 16th century. The compromise that resulted from these conflicting forces suited Elizabeth very well; she had little dislike of Catholics who repudiated the papacy, but she was forced to rely mainly on Protestants, and had little respect for any form of ecclesiastical self-government. She valued uniformity in religion, not as a safeguard against heresy, but as a guarantee of the unity of the state. The outlines of her foreign policy are sketched elsewhere, and her courtships were diplomatic.

Contemporary gossip said that she was debarred from matrimony by a physical defect; and her cry when she heard that Mary queen of Scots had given birth to a son is the most womanly thing recorded of Elizabeth. Her features were as handsome as Mary's, but she had little fascination, and in spite of her many suitors no man lost his head over Elizabeth as men did over Mary. She was far too 'masculine' in mind and temperament, and her extravagant addiction to the outward trappings of femininity was probably due to the absence or atrophy of deeper feminine instincts. In the same way the impossibility of marriage made her all the freer with her flirtations, and she carried some of them to lengths that scandalized a public unconscious of Elizabeth's security. She had every reason to keep them in the dark, and to convince other courts that she could and would marry if the provocation were sufficient. She could not marry Philip II , but she held out hopes to more than one of his Austrian cousins whenever France or Mary Stuart seemed to threaten; and later she encouraged two French princes when Philip had lost patience with Elizabeth and made Mary Stuart his protegee.

Her other suitors were less important, except Leicester , who appealed to the least intellectual side of Elizabeth and was always a cause of distraction in her policy and her ministers. Queen Elizabeth signing the Death Warrant of Mary, Queen of Scots. Elizabeth was terribly handicapped by having no heirs of her body and no obvious English successor. She could not afford to recognize Mary's claim, for that would have been to alienate the Protestants, double the number of Catholics, and, in her own phrase, to spread a winding-sheet before her eyes; for all would have turned to the rising sun. Mary was dangerous enough as it was, and no one would willingly make his rival his heir. Elizabeth could hardly be expected to go out of her way and ask parliament to repeal its own acts for Mary's sake; probably it would have refused. Nor was it personal enmity on Elizabeth's part that brought Mary to the block. Parliament had long been ferociously demanding Mary's execution, not because she was guilty but because she was dangerous to the public peace.

She alone could have given the Spanish Armada any real chance of success; and as the prospect of invasion loomed larger on the horizon, fiercer grew the popular determination to remove the only possible centre of a domestic rising, without which the external attack was bound to be a failure. Elizabeth resisted the demand, not from compassion or qualms of conscience, but because she dreaded the responsibility for Mary's death. She wished Paulet would manage the business on his own account, and when at last her signature was extorted she made a scapegoat of her secretary Davison who had the warrant executed. The other great difficulty, apart from the succession, with which Elizabeth had to deal, arose from the exuberant aggressiveness of England, which she could not, and perhaps did not want to, repress. Religion was not really the cause of her external dangers, for the time had passed for crusades, and no foreign power seriously contemplated an armed invasion of England for religion's sake. But no state could long tolerate the affronts which English seamen offered Spain.

The common view that the British Empire has been won by purely defensive action is not tenable, and from the beginning of her reign Englishmen had taken the offensive, partly from religious but also from other motives. They were determined to break up the Spanish monopoly in the new world, and in the pursuit of this endeavour they were led to challenge Spain in the old. For nearly thirty years Philip put up with the capture of his treasure-ships, the raiding of his colonies and the open assistance rendered to his rebels. Only when he had reached the conclusion that his power would never be secure in the Netherlands or the New World until England was conquered, did he despatch the Spanish Armada. Elizabeth delayed the breach as long as she could, probably because she knew that war meant taxation, and that taxation was the most prolific parent of revolt. With the defeat of the Spanish Armada Elizabeth's work was done, and during the last fifteen years of her reign she got more out of touch with her people.

That period was one of gradual transition to the conditions of Stuart times; during it practically every claim was put forward that was made under the first two Stuarts either on behalf of parliament or the prerogative, and Elizabeth's attitude towards the Puritans was hardly distinguishable from James I 's. But her past was in her favour, and so were her sex and her Tudor tact, which checked the growth of discontent and made Essex 's rebellion a ridiculous fiasco. He was the last and the most wilful but perhaps the best of her favourites, and his tragic fate deepened the gloom of her closing years. The loneliness of a queen who had no husband or children and no relatives to mention must at all times have been oppressive; it grew desolating in old age after the deaths of Leicester , Walsingham , Burghley and Essex, and Elizabeth died, the last of her race, on the 24th of March 1603. Excerpted from: Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Ed., Vol IX. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1910. 283.

Father BBC - iWonder - Elizabeth I: Troubled child to beloved Queen Elizabeth I: Troubled child to beloved Queen 1533 1603Elizabeth dies a beloved queen 'Good Queen Bess' Elizabeth I is one of England's greatest monarchs – perhaps the greatest. Her forces defeated the Spanish Armada and saved England from invasion, she reinstated Protestantism and forged an England that was a strong and independent nation. But she had a very difficult childhood and was fortunate to make it to the throne at all. When she was young, her father Henry VIII executed her mother Anne Boleyn. She was stripped of her inheritance and was imprisoned in the Tower of London. 1533 Born into the Tudor dynasty Getty Elizabeth's parents Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII. Elizabeth is born on 7 September in Greenwich Palace. News of her birth causes rejoicing across the country, but is a bitter disappointment to her father Henry. He is desperate for a male heir to continue the Tudor dynasty. Although Elizabeth is made next in line to the throne, the King prays his next child will be male – superseding her claim to the throne. Getty Anne Boleyn awaits her fate in the Tower of London.

Elizabeth is two years and eight months old when her mother Anne Boleyn is accused of adultery and beheaded on the orders of Henry VIII. Her father marries Anne’s lady-in-waiting Jane Seymour a week later. Elizabeth is declared illegitimate and removed from the royal succession. Her title is downgraded from 'Princess’ to 'Lady’. Elizabeth is neglected for a number of years until Henry's final wife Catherine Parr takes charge and makes sure she is educated to the highest standards and, crucially, taught the art of public speaking by renowned Cambridge scholar Roger Ascham. She does perceive how, of herself… she can do nothing that good is, or prevails for her salvation, unless it be through the grace of god… Elizabeth describes a translation of French verse in a letter to Catherine Parr, 1544. 1547 Father dies You need to have JavaScript enabled to view this clip. Simon Schama explains how Thomas Seymour and Elizabeth's relationship developed. A History of Britain by Simon Schama (BBC Two, 2000). Elizabeth is 13-years-old when Henry VIII dies. Her nine-year-old half-brother Edward becomes King. Elizabeth joins the household of her stepmother Catherine Parr.

When Elizabeth is caught in an embrace with Parr’s husband Thomas Seymour, she is banished from the house. In 1548 Catherine dies in childbirth and Seymour is subsequently executed for plotting to marry Elizabeth and kidnap Edward VI. When Elizabeth is questioned by the authorities she protests her innocence and escapes prosecution. Imprisoned in the Tower of London Mary Evans Elizabeth held prisoner in the Tower of London. After Edward’s early death in 1553 Elizabeth’s older sister Mary I becomes queen. Mary returns the country to Catholicism and begins a series of bloody purges of Protestants. 287 are executed during her short reign. Mary’s plan to marry Prince Phillip of Spain sparks an unsuccessful rebellion and Elizabeth is interrogated about her involvement with the plotters. She is imprisoned in the Tower of London before being put under house arrest in Woodstock, Oxfordshire. Remember your last promise and my last demand that I be not condemned without answer and due proof. In a letter Elizabeth beseeches her half-sister Mary not to send her to the Tower, March 1554. 1558 Elizabeth becomes Queen You need to have JavaScript enabled to view this clip. Simon Schama describes Elizabeth I's coronation.

Clip from A History of Britain by Simon Schama (BBC Two, 2000). Following the death of her half-sister Mary, Elizabeth succeeds to the throne. She is 25. Elizabeth has inherited a country wracked by religious strife and knows she needs public support to remain queen. The celebrations for the coronation the following year are spectacular. As her procession makes its way through London on its way to Westminster she pauses to listen to congratulations and receive flowers from ordinary people on the street. I will be as good unto ye as ever a Queen was unto her people. No will in me can lack, neither do I trust shall there lack any power. Elizabeth to the people of London on the eve of her coronation 1559 Falls in love? You need to have JavaScript enabled to view this clip. Simon Schama asks if Elizabeth was really in love with Robert Dudley. Clip from A History of Britain by Simon Schama (BBC Two, 2000). Elizabeth has many suitors but the one who comes closest to winning her heart is Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. The two are very close and she appoints him as one of her most trusted advisors.

When his wife Lady Amy Dudley dies suddenly in suspicious circumstances in 1560, rumours start spreading about the nature of Robert's relationship with the Queen. However Elizabeth ignores the rumours. The precise nature of their relationship remains a mystery to this day. Executes Mary, Queen of Scots You need to have JavaScript enabled to view this clip. Simon Schama describes how Elizabeth's spymaster entrapped Mary, Queen of Scots. Clip from A History of Britain by Simon Schama (BBC Two, 2000). Elizabeth's Catholic cousin Mary, Queen of Scots is under house arrest in Chartley Hall, Stafford as she poses a threat to Elizabeth. Elizabeth builds up an extensive network of spies headed by Francis Walsingham to help protect her. He implicates Mary in a plot to depose Elizabeth and she is tried and convicted of treason. Elizabeth is reluctant to execute her cousin. She doesn’t want to set a precedent by executing an anointed monarch. After months of prevaricating, she finally has Mary beheaded at Fotheringhay Castle. What will my enemies not say, that for the safety of her life a maiden queen could be content to spill the blood even of her own kinswoman?

Elizabeth to a Parliamentary delegation begging her have Mary, Queen of Scots executed. 1588 The defeat of the Spanish Armada You need to have JavaScript enabled to view this clip. Elizabeth I makes a rousing speech to the English soldiers gathered at Tilbury. Clip from A History of Britain by Simon Schama (BBC Two, 2000). After the death of Mary, Queen of Scots the Pope urges Philip of Spain to invade England. England and Spain have long been bitter rivals and Philip launches a great fleet of ships, known as the Spanish Armada. Elizabeth is adamant she will retain her crown and that England will remain free from the influence of Rome. She addresses the troops encamped at Tilbury saying she will fight by their side. The Armada is engaged by the Royal Fleet in the channel and then driven to the North Sea by strong winds. Only half of the 130 ships make it back to Spain. I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too. Elizabeth I, addressing English soldiers at Tilbury, July 1588.

1603 Elizabeth dies a beloved queen Topfoto Elizabeth I, The Weary Sovereign. Elizabeth I dies aged 69. Known forever as 'the Virgin Queen', she remains unmarried and childless until the end. In her final years Elizabeth's reign is beset by problems in Ireland and her failing health. However, the mourning which follows her death is unprecedented. Many ordinary Londoners take to the streets to watch Elizabeth's journey to her final resting place in Westminster Abbey. As Elizabeth leaves no direct Tudor heir, James VI of Scotland – the son of Mary, Queen of Scots – is named king. The Tudor dynasty that has ruled England for 118 years comes to an end. Elizabeth I Buried: 28 April 1603 Westminster Abbey Elizabeth's life was troubled from the moment she was born. Henry VIII had changed the course of his country's history in order to marry Anne Boleyn , hoping that she would bear him the strong and healthy son that Catherine of Aragon never did. But, on September 7, 1533 in Greenwich Palace , Anne bore Elizabeth instead. Anne did eventually conceive a son, but he was stillborn.

By that point, Henry had begun to grow tired of Anne and began to orchestrate her downfall. Most, if not all, historians agree that Henry's charges of incest and adultery against Anne were false, but they were all he needed to sign her execution warrant. She was beheaded on the Tower Green on May 19, 1536, before Elizabeth was even three years old. Elizabeth was probably at the royal manor at Hunsdon when her mother was arrested and executed after being at court for Christmas (and likely the last time she saw her mother). Henry had remarried and was eagerly awaiting the son he hoped Jane Seymour was carrying. As it turned out, she was indeed to bear Henry a son, Edward (future Edward VI ). Jane died shortly after her son was born. Elizabeth's last stepmother was Katherine Parr , the sixth queen to Henry VIII. Katherine had hoped to marry Thomas Seymour (brother to the late Queen Jane), but she caught Henry's eye. She brought both Elizabeth and her half-sister Mary back to court. When Henry died, she became the Dowager Queen and took her household from Court.

Because of the young age of Edward VI, Edward Seymour (another brother of Jane's and therefore the young King's uncle) became Lord Protector of England. Elizabeth went to live with the Queen Dowager Katherine, but left her household after an incident with the Lord Admiral, Thomas Seymour, who was now Katherine's husband. Just what occurred between Elizabeth and Thomas will never be known for sure, but rumors at the time suggested that Katherine had caught them kissing or perhaps even in bed together. Katherine was pregnant at the time of the incident. She later gave birth to a daughter named Mary. Katherine died not too long afterwards and was buried at Sudeley Castle . This left Thomas Seymour as an eligible bachelor once again. Because Elizabeth was a daughter of the late King Henry VIII, she was in line to the throne (despite several attempts to remove her from the chain, she was in Henry's will as an heir) and was therefore a most sought-after bride. During the reign of Edward VI, Thomas Seymour asked for Elizabeth's hand in marriage, which she refused. From this incident, both Thomas and Elizabeth were suspected of plotting against the king. Elizabeth was questioned, but was never charged.

Seymour however, after an attempt to kidnap the boy king, was arrested and eventually executed for treason. Elizabeth was reported to have said, upon hearing of the Lord Admiral's death (although it is probably apocryphal): "Today died a man of much wit, and very little judgment." Edward may have contracted what was then called consumption (possibly tuberculosis) or had a severe respiratory infection. When it looked inevitable that the teenager would die without an heir of his own body, the plots for his crown began. Reports of the young King's declining health spurred on those who did not want the crown to fall to the Catholic Mary. It was during this time that Guilford Dudley married Lady Jane Grey , who was a descendant of Henry VIII's sister Mary , and was therefore also an heir to the throne. When Edward VI died in 1553, Jane was proclaimed Queen by her father Henry Grey and her father-in-law John Dudley , who rallied armies to support her. However, many more supported the rightful heir: Mary, daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. Nine days after Jane was proclaimed Queen, Mary rode into London with her sister Elizabeth. Jane Grey and her husband Guilford were imprisoned in the Tower.

Shortly after becoming Queen, Mary was wed to Prince Philip of Spain , which made the Catholic Queen quite unpopular. The persecuted Protestants saw Elizabeth as their savior, since she was seen as an icon of "the new faith". After all, it was to marry her mother Anne Boleyn that Henry instituted the break with Rome. Because of this, several rebellions and uprisings were made in Elizabeth's name, although she herself probably had little or no knowledge of them. However, Mary sensed the danger from her younger sister, and imprisoned her in the Tower. The story, possibly apocryphal, of Elizabeth's entry into the Tower is an interesting one. She was deathly (pun intended) afraid of the Tower, probably thinking of her mother's fate in that place, and when she was told she would be entering through Traitor's Gate, she refused to move. She had been secreted to the Tower in the dark so as not to raise the sympathy of supporters. That night was cold and rainy, and the Princess Elizabeth sat, soaking wet, on the stairs from the river to the gate. After her governess finally persuaded Elizabeth to enter, she did so and became yet another famous prisoner of the Tower of London.

Elizabeth was released from the Tower after a few months of imprisonment and was sent to Woodstock where she stayed for just under a year. When it appeared that Mary had become pregnant, Elizabeth was no longer seen as a significant threat and the Queen let her return to her residence at Hatfield , under semi- house arrest. Mary Tudor was nearly 40 years old when the news of her "pregnancy" came. After a few months, her belly began to swell, but no baby was ever forthcoming. Some modern historians think that she had a large ovarian cyst, and this is also what lead to her failing health and eventual death. News of Mary's death on November 17, 1558 reached Elizabeth at Hatfield, where she was said to be out in the park, sitting under an oak tree. Upon hearing that she was Queen, legend has it that Elizabeth quoted the 118th Psalm's twenty-third line, in Latin: "A Dominum factum est illud, et est mirabile in oculis notris" -- "It is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes." Elizabeth had survived and was finally Queen of England.

Queen Elizabeth I of England Queen Elizabeth I of England (b. 1533, r. 1558 - d. 1603) Often considered by many historians as England�s greatest monarch, Queen Elizabeth I ruled during an age that saw the expansion of the British monarchy to North America through voyages of discovery by men such as Sir Francis Drake and Sir Walter Raleigh. It witnessed the accomplishments of playwrights such as William Shakespeare and would change history by defeating the Spanish Armada. Although her reign saw many accomplishments that pushed Britain forward as one of the leading economic and military powers in the world, it was also made up of plots and assassinations that were intended for or falsely accused the queen and controversies, such as her claims of being a virgin and the amount of influence that her privy council had over her. Elizabeth's birth dramatically altered the course of English history. Although King Henry VIII of the Tudor dynastyhad an illegitimate son, he needed an heir from a queen to properly continue the dynasty. His first child to survive was, Mary , born to Catherine of Aragon , Henry�s first wife. After it was clear that Catherine could give him no more children, he ended his marriage, which provoked the English Reformation.

Henry married the already pregnant Anne Boleyn , who gave birth to Elizabeth on September 7, 1533. At the age of two she became motherless as the accusations of adultery, which were drummed up by Henry, sent her mother to the guillotine. She had a younger brother, Edward by Henry�s third wife, Jane Seymour, and who would follow his father as king. With two older siblings, no one at the time expected Elizabeth to matter much. Still, being the daughter of a king, Elizabeth had educational opportunities that were not available for most women of her age. At the hands of private tutors, she learned six languages: French, Spanish, Greek, Italian, Latin and Flemish along with her native English, studied theology, astronomy, physics, and other subjects in which she performed remarkably. After the early death of her brother Edward VI, her sister Mary inherited the throne. �Bloody� Mary , as she would become known, was a Roman Catholic and her reign saw the persecution of many Protestants. In an attempt to dethrone Mary, Protestants led by Thomas Wyatt started a rebellion. Mary insisted that her sister was active in the uprising and had her imprisoned in the Tower of London.

After a few treacherous months she was released and sent away to an estate under the constant watch of her sister. However, Elizabeth never gave in to her sister�s demand of converting to Roman Catholicism. In 1558, Mary died and Elizabeth became queen. Faced with a country that was reeling from religious differences, Elizabeth once again made the Church of England the official religion, although retaining some Roman Catholic traditions in the church by issuing the 39 Articles of 1563, which was designed to prevent the country from further turmoil. Her tolerance of Roman Catholicism would wane in her later years as assassination plots were uncovered that originated in at the hands of Roman Catholics that sought to reestablish a Roman Catholic queen. Pope Pius V excommunicated her in 1570 in hope of an uprising that would allow a Roman Catholic to once again restore the faith to England. During the 1580�s her tolerance ran out and sent many to their death. The figure in the conspiracies that was to take Elizabeth�s position as monarch was Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots .

After the suspicious death of her second husband, Lord Darnley, in 1566, Mary, along with the Earl of Bothwell whom she had grown very close to had been accused of assassinating the King. She was forced to leave Scotland and sought the protection of Elizabeth in England. During a nearly twenty-year stay, she was more than once suspected of conspiring to overthrow Elizabeth, but Elizabeth refused to have her executed. Only after her role in the Babington Plot was uncovered did Elizabeth send her to her death in 1587. In Parliament, Elizabeth ruled through her Privy Council. This included men such as the earl of Leicester, Lord Burghley, and later the Earl of Essex. They were her council in times of decision and had influence over the queen. Throughout her reign, Elizabeth was pressured to marry by Parliament in hope of producing an heir to the crown. Although she never married, Elizabeth received proposals from many prominent men in Europe. Throughout her life she defended her virginity, but rumors circulated that she was in love with Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester. After the suspicious death of his wife, Amy, Elizabeth was accused of plotting to kill her in order to be with her childhood love.

The two never married, although Leicester would wed her cousin several years after the death of his wife. In 1588, Spain attempted to invade England, partially prompted by the execution of Mary Stuart . During their invasion, the grand armada engaged the Royal Navy. After bad weather and a series of defeats, the armada was repulsed and England emerged as the prominent naval force in the world. England also expanded its commerce and companies like the British East India Company were established to enhance trade On March 24, 1603, Elizabeth died as the oldest monarch to rule England until King George III. Her era saw the advancement of England as a military might, restored the Anglican faith, and ruled her country effectively through council for 45 years in a time when women were still being looked upon as being inferior to men.. Although plots and conspiracies plagued her reign, her unification of the England is the reason for the label that is commonly attached to her as England�s greatest monarch. Annotated Bibliography Anonymous. �History of the Monarchy- Elizabeth I < > (22 December 2005). This article highlights Elizabeth�s life and does not go into great detail about the monarch.

It provides an accurate depiction of the queen, but more information is needed to have a better picture of what life was like during her reign. The article is easy to read and provides some interesting information about her life, especially her dealings with Catholics and possible suitors for marriage. The website is the official government website of the Royal Family and also has links to other monarchs that have reigned over Britannia Anonymous �Queen Elizabeth I� available from < > (22 December 2005). This article begins by discussing the marriages of her father, King Henry VIII, and gives some information about Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth�s mother. It then focuses on her childhood and the fondness showed to her by her stepmother�s newest husband, Thomas Seymour, brother of Jane. The article ends by discussing the assassination plots on her life by Mary, Queen of Scots, her treatment of Catholics, the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, and her relationship with Robert Devereux, the Earl of Essex. The article has a vast amount of links at the bottom of the site and arranges the links by its appropriate subject, such as Men in Elizabeth�s life to the writings of the queen.

I recommend the site to researchers that need to find quality links on Queen Elizabeth I. Briscoe, Alexandra. �Elizabeth I: An Overview� BBC available from < > (22 December 2005).Briscoe�s article gives a brief description of the life of Queen Elizabeth. She touches minutely her early years, coronation, marriage proposals, the plots of Mary, Queen of Scots, and her final years. The article is well written and is suitable for students from the high school level and up. The last section of the site provides valuable links to a variety of web sites dealing with major figures and themes that were present during the life and historical work after her death. Briscoe�s main occupation is assisting in the production of documentaries for the BBC and specializes in the Elizabethan Era. Halsall, Paul. ed. �Queen Elizabeth I of England� Internet Modern History Sourcebook July 1998. available from < > (accessed 22 Sep 2005). This website provided by Paul Halsall is a collection of primary sources of speeches and letters by Elizabeth. They include responses to marriage proposals, religion, her farewell speech, and two responses to Parliament regarding their thoughts about her marrying.

There is background information given before each response that allows the reader to understand the situation Elizabeth is responding to. I recommend the site for researchers in need of a quality primary source by the queen. Paul Halsall once instructed at Fordham University and now teaches at the University of North Florida. Hammer, Paul E.J. �The Last Decade� History Today May 2003. 53:5 available from Academic Search Premier accessed 29 Sep 2005. Paul Hammer�s article looks at the major figures that made up Elizabeth�s Privy Council and their ability to influence her during her reign, especially in the 1590's, due to the close relationships she had wit some of the members.. The article examines individuals such as William Cecil (Lord Burghley), The Earl of Essex, and the impact of the earl of Leicester�s death in 1588 and the void that it created. The article also examines the power struggles that emerged between Essex and Robert Cecil, Burghley�s son, for control of the Privy Council and favor from Queen Elizabeth. The article is well written and is most suitable for a researcher who has prior knowledge of Elizabeth and her life.

Hammer is an instructor of history at the University of St. Andrews in England. Hibbert, Christopher. The Virgin Queen: Elizabeth I, Genius of the Golden Age. New York: Addison-Wesley, 1994. Hibbert�s book offers a chronological look at the life of Queen Elizabeth in great detail. Throughout the book are colorful illustrations of the virgin queen and contains a genealogy of the Tudor Dynasty. I recommend the book to an experienced reader since the language used may bring about confusion due to its vast array of words that may be uncommon to the average reader. The bibliography of the book contains a vast amount of primary and secondary sources that may aid further research about Queen Elizabeth. Klein, Arthur Jay. Intolerance in the Reign of Elizabeth. Port Washington, NY: Kennikat Press Inc., 1968. Klein�s work focuses on the way Elizabeth handled the religious differences that England was facing during her reign, as well as her handling of Mary Stuart�s assassination plot and the defeat of the Spanish Armada.

Klein uses as sources many acts of Parliament and proclamations to show how the Elizabethan government treated Catholics and Protestants in restoring the Anglican Church after the reign of her sister, Mary. The book is very detailed and should be used by serious scholars attempting to find out more on the way Elizabeth handled the religious questions of her day. Klein was a professor of history at Wheaton College in Massachusetts and wishes that the American student looking to research the religious history of the period use his bibliography as a way to guide their research to prevent confusion in the vast amount of sources that are available on the subject. Loades, David. Elizabeth I. New York: Hambledon and London, 2003. Loades' book attempts to describe Elizabeth�s role in the events that marked her reign with more clarity than previous authors. The book covers Henry�s marriages and the span of Elizabeth�s life chronologically, from her childhood and reign up to her death in 1603. Loades arranges the chapters according to certain era�s of the queen�s life, such as the threats she faced, the war with Spain, her relations with her sister, Queen �Bloody Mary,� and other topics that characterize her reign.

The book contains illustrations of Elizabeth and prominent individuals who Elizabeth interacted with throughout her life. The end of the book contains several pages of notes to clarify what is being discussed as well as a bibliography full of primary and secondary sources he uses that can be used as tools for further research. The author admits that his thinking of Elizabeth has been influenced by other writers on the subject through interactions and conferences. I highly recommend the book for someone doing research about the queen due to its scholarly work and recent publication that shows current thinking about Elizabeth�s reign. O�Malley, John W. �Excommunicating Politicians.� America 27 Sep 2004. available from Academic Search Premier Accessed 29 Sep 2005. O�Malley�s article examines the history of the excommunication of leading politicians and leaders beginning in the eleventh century with emperor Henry IV by Pope Gregory VII up to action by New Orleans Bishop Joseph Rummel against three Catholics who protested his plan to end the racial segregation that existed in New Orleans schools. The article briefly mentions Elizabeth and describes that the reason she was excommunicated was to start a rebellion to overthrow the queen and allow a Catholic to become England�s monarch.

It is a very well written article, but the reader will not find much about Elizabeth or Henry�s excommunication. O�Malley is a professor of church history at the Weston Jesuit School of Theology in Cambridge, Mass., and is also an author who released a book in 2004, The Four Cultures of the West. Plowden, Allison. Two Queens In One Isle: The Deadly Relationship Between Elizabeth I & Mary Queen of Scots. Gloucestershire: Sutton Publishing, 1999. Plowden�s book examines the rise to power of Queen Elizabeth and Mary, Queen of Scots and the relationship that they had that ended with Mary losing her head in 1587. Plowden thoroughly describes Mary�s assassination plots of Elizabeth as well as Mary�s suspected role of the killing of her second husband, Lord Darnley, with the Earl of Bothwell as an accomplice, that ultimately caused a revolt and sent Mary in exile to England protected by Elizabeth. She also describes the jealousies that the Queens had for one another as well as a glimpse into Elizabeth�s personal thoughts on the situation, imprisonment, and eventual execution of Mary.

Allison Plowden is a former script writer and editor for the BBC turned author and has several publications on Queen Elizabeth. This book is a very good source on the relationship between the two queens. Saunders, Will. �Faction in the Reign of Elizabeth I.� History Review March 2004 Issue 48 accessed 29 Sep 2005. available from Academic Search Premier. The article written by Will Saunders examines the role that factions played in the decision-making that occurred under Queen Elizabeth. The article describes what a faction is then looks at different interpretations of her reign and how she ruled her court by twentieth century writers such as John Neale, Simon Adams, Susan Doran, and John Guy and Steven Alford (together). Their descriptions of Elizabeth differ dramatically, with Doran defending that Elizabeth was a strong monarch that ruled very assertively while Neale argues that she was highly influenced and manipulated by her advisors. Saunders is the head of history at the Persy School for Girls in Cambridge. Timeline Of Elizabeth I Of England | Preceden Timeline of Elizabeth I of England For World History. Elizabeth I of England was born on September 7th, 1533.

Elizabeth's Accession Day November 17, 1558 "Elizabeth's Accession Day, November 17, 1558, was celebrated triumphantly by Protestants, who looked to the new Queen as the embodiment of all their revolutionary hopes. She was seen as a symbol of hope for a more liberal era." 1559 (Month unknown, but this event came after her coronation celebrations.) "Contrary to Protestant expectations, however, Elizabeth's first Parliament brought compromise instead of radical reform; avoiding the extremism of the two former regimes, the new Queen looked back to her father's reign as a role model for her government." Introduced the acts that made up the Church Settlement 1559 - 1563 (Month unknown, but took place after Elizabeth's first Parliament.) "As soon as her Council had been appointed, Elizabeth made religion her priority. She recognised how important it was to establish a clear religious framework and between 1559 and 1563 introduced the acts which made up the Church Settlement. This returned England to the Protestant faith stating that public worship, religious books such as the Bible and prayers were to be conducted in English rather than Latin.

The new Book of Common Prayer was introduced, adapted from earlier Books used under the Protestant Edward VI." Celebration of Elizabeth's Coronation January 1559 "The celebrations for the Coronation, two months later, were spectacular. As Elizabeth walked along the carpet laid out for her journey to Westminster Abbey, the crowds rushed forward to cut out pieces as souvenirs. Elizabeth made sure that everyone - down to the lowliest beggar - played a part, pausing to listen to congratulations from ordinary people on the street. She knew that, in political terms, she needed their support but she also felt a deep sense of responsibility for their welfare. For their part, the people were thrilled with their new Queen. Elizabeth was an instant hit." Parliament refuses to grant Elizabeth any further funds until she marries 1566 Marriage was a political necessity and a way of forming a useful alliance with a European power. Elizabeth's reluctance to marry was to become one of her biggest headaches. "The years passed until in 1566, when Parliament refused to grant Elizabeth any further funds until the matter was settled. This was a big mistake.

No one told the Queen what to do and, using the skills of rhetoric she had been taught, Elizabeth addressed members of Parliament. The welfare of the country was her priority, not marriage. She would marry when it was convenient and would thank Parliament to keep out of what was a personal matter. This was clever talk from the Queen. She knew the political implications of remaining unmarried but effectively banned further discussion." 1571 (No exact month/day is applicable.) "As predicted, Mary [Queen of the Scots] quickly became the focus of plots to overthrow Elizabeth and return England to the Catholic faith." "The Ridolfi Plot of 1571 went further by enlisting Spanish support to depose Elizabeth and place Mary on the throne. It was clear that, as long as Mary Queen of Scots was alive, Elizabeth's life would be in danger." The Earl of Leicester throws Elizabeth a party 1575 (Month is not known; only the season and year.) "...the one who came closest to winning her heart was Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester." "The dashing Earl of Leicester was something of a showman.

He wanted to impress the Queen and, in the summer of 1575, threw a party at Kenilworth Castle which no one could forget. It took years to prepare for. He altered the layout of his castle, building luxurious new apartments for the Queen and her huge entourage. The entertainment lasted several days with fine banquets, jousting and spectacular firework displays.

He had shown the Queen how much he adored her and, just as he had hoped, eclipsed everyone else." Elizabeth ceremoniously knights Francis Drake 1580 (Month and day are unknown.) "With the Queen's tacit approval, English privateers such as Francis Drake and John Hawkins plundered Spanish galleons returning from the Americas; in 1580, Elizabeth ceremoniously knighted Drake on board his ship the Golden Hind--he was then the second captain to circumnavigate the globe, and had returned with Spanish treasure worth twice the annual revenue of the crown." Elizabeth openly sends troops to the Netherlands 1585 (Month and day are unknown.) "Elizabeth unofficially supported Dutch rebels from the outset of their struggle for independence but maintained a pretence of goodwill towards Spain until 1585, when she first openly sent troops to the Netherlands (under the command of her favourite, the Earl of Leicester)." The Nine Years War Begins 1594 (Month and day are not known.) "1594 saw the start of the Nine Years War in which hundreds of English troops were killed. Elizabeth sent out the impetuous Earl of Essex who only managed to create further difficulties.

Her most trusted ministers, including Burghley and Walsingham, passed away. Leicester, to whom she had remained close, died in 1588 and Elizabeth kept his last letter beside her bed until her own death." Elizabeth delivers her Golden Speech 1601 (Month and day are not known.) Elizabeth delivered her Golden Speech in the year 1601. In this speech, she said, "This I account the glory of my crown, that I have reigned with your loves." Queen Elizabeth - Body and Being Queen Elizabeth Jump to: navigation , search Queen Elizabeth I of England and Ireland (1533-1603) During the reign of Queen Elizabeth, England was in its "Golden Age". Elizabeth was "an immensely popular Queen" among her citizens and was a legend during her time. She was praised for her remarkable abilities and achievements. She is known as the Virgin Queen, the nickname given to her because she never got married. [1] Contents 4 References Early Years Elizabeth was born between Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. She was born on September 7 1533 at Greenwich Palace.

The king was disappointed by the sex of the child because they have been longing for the heir, and also, they already had a daughter from his first wife, Mary. Henry VIII had gone through breaking off from the Catholic church and establishing a new British religion in order to marry Anne and bear a son. When Anne Boleyn failed to provide him with an heir, she was executed under the charge of incest and adultery in 1536. The charge was false. After Anne's death, as the daughter of the beheaded queen, Elizabeth became illegitimate and was not in line for the throne. For next eight years, she went through a line of stepmothers. There was Jane Seymour who died during the birth of Edward; Anne of Cleves who was divorced; Catherine Howard who was beheaded; and Catherine Parr. After Jane Seymour's death, she was back in line for the throne. [2] As a child, Elizabeth received a very impressive education. She excelled in languages, and by adulthood, she could speak five languages fluently. During her adolescence years, she was safe from political opportunists, but when King Henry dies in 1547, and Edward became the king, she became vulnerable to those greedy politicians.

Thomas Seymour, King Edward's uncle, tried to marry Elizabeth, knowing that she is now second in line to the throne. He planned to kidnapped the young king but it cost him hims life. Philip II of Spain also tried to marry her, which eventually led to the Spanish Armada. Succession Queen, Faced with the Spanish Armada of 1588 King Edward, who was never healthy during his life time, died the summer of 1553, and the throne automatically went to Mary. Elizabeth was imprisoned because Mary was suspicious that Elizabeth might have been conspiring with Thomas Wyatt and his men to get the throne. It is unknown whether Elizabeth was aware of the plans. Many people did want her to be executed but there was no solid evidence against her and she was popular with the people. She was kept in the Tower for two months and then in Woodstock Manor for a year. Mary's husband, Philip of Spain, helped release her because he was worried about her health and for the peaceful relationship between England and Spain. Elizabeth finally succeeded the throne on November 17, 1558. Mary had re-established the Catholic church in England during her reign. Elizabeth restored the Protestant religion in England.

Many men who were greedy for power tried to marry her but she refused all proposals. During her reign, England was at their Golden Age. She was dedicated to her country, and was popular because she was always careful and thoughtful towards decisions and choices. She died at Richmond Palace on March 24, 1603, during the most powerful and prosperous time in England. The first attempt to establish a colony in America was started during the Elizabethan era. The British colonies grew since then and eventually developed into the United States. Laws and political science The years of Elizabeth's reign is well recognized and is called the Elizabethan era. During this time, England excelled in technology, romance literature, political science, and colonization. Elizabeth's rules and laws have become the basis of the English rules and was the basis for the new laws in the American colonies created during this time. [3] On Gender During the time period of Queen Elizabeth's rule, women were still widely seen as inferior to men. The circumstances of Elizabeth's birth reflect this view: in order to divorce his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, and marry Elizabeth's mother Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII established an independent Church of England with himself at its head.

This was to create religious conflict in England that still continues today. All of Elizabeth's success and fame as a ruler subjected her to the scrutiny of her male peers. Rumors circulated that she was actually a man. The fact that she also never married only drew more negative attention. Traditional citizens of England wanted their Queen to settle down and give birth to male heirs. If Elizabeth were to wed though, she would have lost her spot on the throne to her husband. In order to avoid the criticism of her advisers and her male peers, Elizabeth established around herself a "cult of virginity," which sought to portray Elizabeth as a Virgin Queen, married to her country, rather than a normal woman who could be married to an ordinary man. While Elizabeth managed to keep her independence to the end of her reign, her refusal to produce or name an heir wrought havoc on the line of succession. Gender related issues in the monarchy would flare for the next several generations. Religion The religious conflict between Catholics and Protestants was a major political and social issue throughout Elizabeth's reign, and this rift remains today.

This conflict originated in the policies of Elizabeth's father, King Henry VIII, who had established himself as the head of both the church and the state in England, rejecting the religious authority and political influence of the Catholic Church. Elizabeth's sister, Queen Mary I, had attempted to reverse Henry VIII's Protestant reforms through the persecution and execution of English Protestants. The Catholic Church did not recognize Elizabeth as a legitimate monarch, nor even as a legitimate child of Henry VIII, since her parents' marriage had never been sanctioned by the Pope. Upon her succession, Elizabeth ended the persecution of Protestants and restored her father's Protestant reforms. She also extended her own authority as the leader of the Church of England directly onto the policies and procedures of the clergy. She issued two Acts of Parliament reaffirming the independence of the Church of England and outlining its structure and practices. The Catholic Church responded by declaring Elizabeth a heretic and releasing her subjects of responsibility to her, effectively deposing her as the ruler of England.

The denial of freedom of religion by both Elizabeth and the Catholic Church was typical of the era, in a society still deeply rooted in Christianity; it had precedent in, for example, Henry VIII and Mary I's imprisonment and execution of those who disagreed with their respective stances on religion. However, Elizabeth's opposition to Catholicism was largely political; recognition of the authority of the Catholic Church would have entailed admission of her own illegitimacy as ruler of England. Elizabeth's own religious views are uncertain, however, and she may well have agreed with religious freedom on a personal level. British Colonies British colonies started and developed dramatically throughout the Elizabethan Era. The Queen's effort towards the colonies eventually established into the creation of a new nation. Also the foundation of the English law she had formed during her reign persisted into the later years of England and eventually affected the newly found Americans create their own constitution and laws. References

Question: During which month of 1533 was Queen Elizabeth I of England born?
Answer: September